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Royal Brunei to recieve 3 B777-300ER's

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Bandar Seri Begawan - Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) will be receiving three Boeing 777 airplanes on a lease from Jet Airways (India) Ltd, stated a report from livemint.com, an exclusive partner of the Wall Street Journal.

 

RBA, which had been in talks with state-run National Aviation Co of India Ltd (Nacil) earlier, has agreed to take the lease of three airplanes from Jet Airways, resulting in India's national flag carrier, Air India the country's biggest by passengers flown, losing out on the deal for the three wide-body aircraft.

 

The online newspaper was quoting an executive at Air India and an aircraft consultant who both wanted to remain anonymous. RBA's deal however, is at a lower rate than Jet's previous agreement with Gulf Air, which is returning the three Boeings after deciding against extending its lease deal.

 

Although Jet Airways could not manage to get the same rates they got from Gulf Air, the carrier has managed to strike a decent deal, the online paper quoted an aircraft consultant close to the deal. A spokeswoman for Jet Airways said the deal with RBA is yet to be finalised. "We have four Boeing 777 planes which we have leased RBA to lease 3 B-777s from Jet Airways out, and, in the next one or two weeks, we will finalise the lease-out plan for three more Boeing 777 aircraft," said KG Vishwanath, vice-president (commercial strategy and investor relations), Jet Airways.

 

Early last month, a report from India's bangeloreaviation.com said the planes could be in Brunei as early as February.

 

The report also states that RBA will maintain its order of the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" despite the two year backlog that has kept many airlines waiting and others cancelling their orders.

 

Alongside the 787s, RBA is also expected to switch to 737-800s next year.

It also states that in 2011, new destinations include Bahrain in the Middle East, Chennai in India; Ujung Pandang in Makassar, Indonesia; Penang in Malaysia, Narita Airport, Japan; Shanghai and Beijing, China.

 

Other tentative new routes highlighted include the potential non-stop destination to Los Angeles on America's west coast in 2013 after including direct flights to London's Heathrow in the latter half of 2012. Speculations of RBA's new destinations have been ongoing for the past six months due to news of the national career's re-fleeting initiative.

 

RBA recently announced the re-opening of their Shanghai route which is scheduled to begin on March 28 and will operate four times a week. Air India, which has six Boeing 777s, after losing out on the deal with RBA is changing their marketing strategy to lease their planes out.

 

"We have now put the tender into an open-tender mode," the Air India executive said, adding that any interested party can pitch in for taking the plane on lease without any time frame and if the rates match, they will consider the proposal.

 

Boeing's 777 airplanes are used for long-haul routes and can seat up to 440 passengers, indicating RBA's plan for introducing longer-haul flights in the future. Typically, an airline earns about $2-2.2 million a month on leasing a wide-body aircraft, including maintenance.

 

Without maintenance, the lease rate is $1-1.2 million a month. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

 

http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010021816121/Local-News/rba-to-lease-3-b-777s-from-jet-airways.html

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Interesting article! I really hope that the lease will materialise... Looks like BI is getting ambitious again - leasing more planes and opening up new routes! OTOH, it puzzles me why they are not improving the frequency of some existing routes (BWN-KCH for example) but still bother to keep them by offering a mere 2x per week schedule. :o

 

Hi H C Chai, BI will start flying BWN-KCH 3X weekly from Apr.

 

Kenneth, I just found out that BI has changed the schedule for BWN-KCH and will carry on offering just 2x per week from April!

 

Screenshot2010-02-18at082603.png

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-OT-

 

 

Waaaaa..... they did it again....

I guess Chaity gotta get in touch with the news blog

for "borrowing" his photo... Chaity's

 

Sorry OT for a while

 

Haha Norman, the press love Chaity's photos.......

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MH as class, so hope there aren't too many soccer mums there with there audi q7. :rolleyes:

 

Hi H C Chai, BI will start flying BWN-KCH 3X weekly from Apr. BI will do well in KCH if they have better connection time in and out of KCH. Some destinations involves a stop-over in BWN...I really don't mind if it include a hotel stay with hotel/airport transfers. If BI has the same frequency of BWN-BKI into KCH, I'm sure many will fly on BI.

 

Sad to say, KCH/Sarawak people, though not all, prefer to fly out of SIN and KUL...to them only SQ and MH is "class"....aiyo...the mentality of people here...

 

If there is "1" good reason for me to fly on BI would be the fact that most flights are not that full, and you really get to stretch out and relax...whereas I believe SQ and MH will have better load serving those same routes, and thus less space for their passengers to relax...

 

I first flew on BI when I was 4, and I really hope to see BI grow...BI has a special place in my heart as it ignited my love for planes....

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Interesting article! I really hope that the lease will materialise... Looks like BI is getting ambitious again - leasing more planes and opening up new routes! OTOH, it puzzles me why they are not improving the frequency of some existing routes (BWN-KCH for example) but still bother to keep them by offering a mere 2x per week schedule. :o

 

 

 

Kenneth, I just found out that BI has changed the schedule for BWN-KCH and will carry on offering just 2x per week from April!

 

Screenshot2010-02-18at082603.png

 

Somebody PLEASE SHOOT ME! Just as I was just planning on making a trip to AKL end of this year, BI just had to go on and spoil my plan. KCH-AKL via BWN is was only 2350+ back when I checked last January...back then they had Sun, Mon and Thu...what is going on?

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Well with so many airlines to choice from it's a bit tough for BI to fly to LHR with their B767 with 1 stop in DXB, 2 if you consider BWN as one. My friend brought his family to LHR last time and upon return his son remarks "I don't want to stop at the desert again. :p Plenty of other airlines offer better equipment or nonstop service.

 

Let's not rush in making an conclusion. "An experience of someone doesn't mean an overall opinion*...

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Somebody PLEASE SHOOT ME! Just as I was just planning on making a trip to AKL end of this year, BI just had to go on and spoil my plan. KCH-AKL via BWN is was only 2350+ back when I checked last January...back then they had Sun, Mon and Thu...what is going on?

 

We are in the same boat... I was planning a trip for my parents to Brisbane, until few weeks ago BI seem to have decent fare and schedule for KCH-BNE via BWN. Now I only get an error message saying there are no flights available such route.

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Tak jadi lagi <_>

http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010022616659/Second-Stories/boeing-boeing-gone-over-unfair-terms.html

 

Bandar Seri Begawan - The much talked of deal whereby Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) was to acquire three Boeing 777 for its awaited long-haul flights is off, aviation inside sources both in Brunei and in India said this week.

 

The Brunei national carrier was speculated to receive the three wide-body jets on lease this month from Jet Airways (India) Ltd but somewhere along the line the deal went sour and now it is most unlikely RBA would be interested in it anymore, sources said.

It is not known for sure why the deal collapsed after so much expectation but sources who did not want to be named said it had something to do with certain conditions in the proposed lease agreement that the Brunei party could not agree to.

 

However a Jet Airways source in India said that RBA did not like certain tax proposals in the lease which Brunei considered as unfair.

 

Sources in RBA, however, could not comment on this.

 

The Brunei carrier was supposed to take over three 440-seater planes which the Gulf Air of Bahrain formerly leased at $2.2 million each, but offered to Brunei at a lower rate. However, both sides seemed happy on the price struck.

 

Brunei's national carrier is however expected to continue with its route expansion plans with the expected operation of 737-800 next year.

 

RBA will also retain its option to buy Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" to reach new destinations although the current scuttling of the Boeing 777 deal could put its future plans at jeopardy temporarily.

 

But the airline was studying other alternatives, sources said. Key destinations like Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Bahrain and Chennai were mentioned as the Brunei carrier planned to upgrade its ageing fleet.

 

Also on the cards were direct flights to London's Heathrow, Penang and Ujung Pandang in Makassar in Indonesia.

 

RBA, which is wholly owned by the government, began operations in 1975 with a flight to Singapore from the brand new Brunei International Airport.

 

Royal Brunei Airlines started out with just two Boeing 737s, one of which was put in service for the airline's first flight on May 14, 1975 from the brand new Brunei International Airport. Flights to Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching in East Malaysia also started on the same day, according to Muhibah RBA's Inflight magazine.

 

Within its first year of service, Royal Brunei's two Boeing 737-200 jets and its staff of 84 had successfully moved 36,000 passengers between Bandar Seri Begawan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kota Kinabalu.

 

The following decade saw Royal Brunei Airlines expand its regional network with Manila and Bangkok in 1976 and 1977 respectively and Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta in 1981 and 1984.

 

From its humble beginnings, Royal Brunei Airlines today flies to cities across the globe, from Asia to Europe and the Middle East to Australia and New Zealand, Muhibah says.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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I guess if it's hard for MH to acquire new equipment, it's even more difficult for RBA to do the same and the reason is not just money.

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I may well be the oddball here, but I found the 1 stop (DXB) flight to LHR less stressful on one's system than those seemingly never ending non-stop flights

Mind you, I had no tight schedule (connecting flight nor meetings etc) to keep up with, so it was quite leisurely :)

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I may well be the oddball here, but I found the 1 stop (DXB) flight to LHR less stressful on one's system than those seemingly never ending non-stop flights

 

You certainly are no oddball. If there is no urgent business to attend to, I would love flights that stop over in all the interesting airports enroute. The most fun part of flight is not when the plane is at cruising level. For me, landings and take-offs are the best. And so more stops means much more landing and take-off actions.

 

When I took to the air on a commercial flight for the first time in September 1981, it was on a Singapore Airlines B747-212B flight (9V-SQH) routed Singapore - Colombo - Dubai - Zurich (this is where I deplaned) - Amsterdam. It was a most enjoyable routing.

 

Another time I flew on a Czechoslovak Airlines IL-62M from Singapore to Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and Prague before connecting another flight to London (on a TU-154). That was another superb flight.

 

So you see, you are no odd-ball . . . recently, my flight from Singapore to Quito via Tokyo and Houston was another example of a perfect multi-stop journey. I looked forward to every single stop enroute.

 

KC Sim

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How about a trip I took in the mid seventies by PR DC-10-30:

 

SYD-MNL-BKK-KHI-FCO-FRA-AMS !!! :pardon:

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Hah hah, though moderation is the key I say :)

I once had to endure LHR/CDG ; CDG/MCT/CMB/SIN ; SIN/KUL ; KUL/BKI

Twice if you consider the return journey as separate

It was very, very taxing, to put it mildly :D

 

Oh yeah, we were travelling in Y

I suppose it could have been a different story if we were booked somewhere up front instead, but that would be largely academic really :)

Edited by BC Tam

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I guess if it's hard for MH to acquire new equipment, it's even more difficult for RBA to do the same and the reason is not just money.

 

Financial plays one the most important role in the survival of any company. Besides political reason, it plays an important role before any acquisition of new aircraft.

Edited by Kenneth T

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Hah hah, though moderation is the key I say :)

I once had to endure LHR/CDG ; CDG/MCT/CMB/SIN ; SIN/KUL ; KUL/BKI

Twice if you consider the return journey as separate

It was very, very taxing, to put it mildly :D

 

Oh yeah, we were travelling in Y

I suppose it could have been a different story if we were booked somewhere up front instead, but that would be largely academic really :)

 

Interesting, on the same airline?

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Interesting, on the same airline?

Nope

LHR/CDG on Air France

CDG/MCT/CMB/SIN on UTA

SIN/KUL on MAS

KUL/BKI on MAS

That is if my memory holds true after 25+ years :)

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I flew to PVG on BI a few years back and now that route is no more. So network wise they aren't really offering much at it moment.

 

Just letting you know BI is now flying to PVG 4x weekly with their B763ER.

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I just found out indirectly that deal has fallen through ... boo!

 

The B777-300ER's are going to Thai Airways instead.

 

Thai upgrades premium seating

 

Starting June 1, premium fare passengers booking Thai Airways between Bangkok, Paris CDG and Tokyo Narita will be sampling some of the world's best seating such as suites in first class and fully flat beds in business class.

 

It will be a far cry from the situation today where flights on these routes are operated by Thai's ageing B747-400s which, as our readers have testified, have varying standards. In some cases the seating can be up to two generations behind that of regional rivals Cathay Pacific and SIA (for more information see Bad for Business in the March 2010 edition of Business Traveller).

 

Thai can upgrade its product offering virtually overnight because it is leasing, rather than buying, state-of-the-art planes.

 

The aircraft in question are three B777-300ERs which Thai is dry leasing for a period of three years (it means Thai provides its own cockpit and cabin staff) from India's Jet Airways at a reported cost of over US$1 million per plane per month.

 

The B777-300ERs are equipped with eight suites in first class (1-2-1) and 30 fully flat beds in business class disposed in the herringbone layout (1-2-1). The 274 economy class passengers are not overlooked as their seating comes with seat back entertainment systems and other comfort enhancements.

 

Although Thai has not yet announced this development in Europe, details of the transaction appear on Jet Airways' website. This information has also been confirmed by the carrier's executive VP for commercial affairs, Pruet Boobphakam, in an interview with the Bangkok Post.

 

Flight schedules for the B777-300ERs are now posted on Thai's website. Starting June 1, they will operate:

 

DailyTG676 Bangkok-Tokyo 0735-1545TG677 Tokyo-Bangkok 1655-2125

DailyTG930 Bangkok-Paris CDG 0005-0705TG931 Paris CDG-Bangkok 1340-0555 (next day arrival)

From July 16 there will be an additional flight to Paris CDG operating every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday:

 

TG932 Bangkok-Paris CDG 1130-1830TG933 Paris CDG-Bangkok 2030-1245 (next day arrival)

Thai says it is anxious to acquire further B777-300ERs to operate on key routes while its fleet of B747-400s undergo retrofitting with more modern seating.

 

In his Bangkok Post interview, Pruet Boobphakam revealed that Thai is in talks with lease a further three B777-300ERs but this time from Air India.

 

These particular aircraft are on final assembly at Boeing's Seattle factory so, if the deal goes ahead, they will be brand new when delivered next October. Details of these new planes' seating is not yet confirmed. But the current Air India B777-300ERs feature four fully flat beds in first class (1-2-1) 30 fully flat seats in business class (2-3-2) and 303 seats in economy class.

 

The economic downturn has left India's airlines with surplus capacity so that is why they are anxious to lease out aircraft. Jet's three B777-300ERs were leased to Gulf Air for a few months last year and had been earmarked for Royal Brunei Airlines (see online news December 23, 2009) but that deal has fallen though.

 

With Thai's B747 refurbishment expected to take a couple of years it is to be hoped that the leased planes will appear on other European routes too. Currently only when passengers fly Bangkok-Zurich with Thai (a route served by a modern A340-600) can they be sure of sampling the carrier's best premium products.

 

For more information visit thaiairways.com.

 

Report by Alex McWhirter

 

Source: http://asia.business...premium-seating

Edited by H C Chai

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Just letting you know BI is now flying to PVG 4x weekly with their B763ER.

 

I just found out indirectly that deal has fallen through ... boo!

 

The B777-300ER's are going to Thai Airways instead.

 

So this means this will revert back to the A319/320?

 

:(

Edited by Waiping

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Damn... I guess we will see the 767 as a real workhorse for years to come until the 787 come which will come when? 2019?

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